Rotary internal-combustion engine



W; T. YOUNG ROTARY INTERNAL' COMBUSTION ENGINE Jan. 5 ,1926. 1,568,391

Fned April '17. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 N* o i N o N RI 1) 31 n o o N N .w "1%, N a

o o *Q o w N e 0 n. o o

1,568,391 w. T, YOUNG Y ROTARY INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 17 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 5 1926.

Patenten Jen. s, 192e.

UNITED STA WALTER '.l. YOUNG, 0F WRISEB, IAHO.

ROTARY DTTEBNAL-COVIBUBITION- ENGINE.

appunti inea Api-n 11,1922. semi 1ro. 55am.

1| This invention relates to a rotary inter-l nal Acombustion engine,and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this character which will operate with certainty and econom and wi l present many ll advantages over t ev reciprocating internal combustlon `engines now commonly employed. An engine constructed in accordance with Vthe invention will be practically free of vibration, will be of light weight in I proportion to the power generated, will be more economical' to construct and maintain and will readily lend itself to the addition of other units as the power requirements var Fyurther objects and advantages of the in vention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an engine l constructed in accordance with the invention; y Fig. 2 is a view with' one side of the casing removed and with certain of the parts in section. y as Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the cylinder, water jacket, piston and web of one of the engines;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view upon line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a vertical Ao sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fi 6 is a detail sectional view of a packlng ring hereinafter described.

Like numerals designate corresponding arts throughout the several figures of the 4.5 rawing. A

A complete en ine may. comprise as many nits as 1s desire said units having a comon main shaft 5 and each unit comprising a annular cylinder 6, water jacket 7, ex- 30 ha 1st conduit 8, combustion chamber 9 and co ression chamber 10. Discs 11 secured to t e main shaft 5 in the several units are rovided with radial heads 12 which project into the annular cylinders 6 and are 55 provided with pistons '13 whichl t snugly within the annular cylinders and are provided with packing rin 14. Laterally movable abutments 15 ands16 are movable to and from ositions where they span the annular cylin er, said abutments bemg carried by stems 17 and 18, res ectively. The abutments are forced inwar ly by springs 19 and move outwardly against the tension of said springs by levers 20 and 21. The outer ends of these levers bear upon rollers 22 and 23 carried by the stems 17 and 18. These levers are pivoted intermediate their ends at 24 and 25 in brackets 26 which project laterally from stienin ribs 27 of the casing 28 of the engine. Tle inner ends of thesf.` levers 20 and 21 are acted upon by a cam face upon a cam 29, said cam being mounted upon the main shaft 5. This main shaft also carries, for each en ine, (though only one is shown), a cran 30, which through a joint 31 and rod 32 locks a lever 33 upon its pivot 34 in an arm 35 of the engine casing. The lever 33 is connected to a piston rod 36, which carries a piston 37, movable in the compression chamber 10. A fuel supply pipe 38, which may lead from a carburetor or other source of fuel supply is provided with branches 38l and these ranches communicate with the lwer r-r tions of the com ression cylinders 10 o the several units. ach compression chamber 10 is provided with an inlet valve 39 which opens inwardly and permits the fuel, which may be carbureted air from a carburetor, to be drawn pist said valve into the compression cham r when the piston 37 moves outwardly in said chamber. When the piston 37 moves inwardly in said chamber, a check valve 40 opens and permits the'passage of the fuel into an ex loson chamber 41. Laterally movable va ves 42 control' the communlcatlon ofthe explosion chamber with the annular cylinder 6 andv this valve is actuated in the same manner that the abutments 15 and 16 are actuated, it being understood that there is one of these valves` for each unit and that said valves are actuated by levers 43 which corres ond to levers 20 and 21 in their method o operation though the actuating cams for these levers are not shown. The operation of the engine is as follows: it being understood that the operation described 1s the operationof one unit and that the operation of the other unit is the same and that there ma be as many of these units as is vdesired an that these several units are arranged 4that is t ,these parts to pass and thereafter the abutto receive their power impulse at different points in the cycle of rotation 'of the main shaft. When the pistons 13-and the heads 12 approach the abutment 15 the cam 29 acts upon the lever 21 to withdraw the abutment and permits the piston to pass. Immediately thereaftei` the cam releases the lever 21 and the spring of abutment. 15 causes it to snap quickly to closed position. The same action takes place when the heads 12 and istons 13 approach abutment 16;

lie abutment is retracted to permit ment immediately snaps back, the packing ring 16, (see Fig. 6,) at this time forming a gas-tight joint for the explosion chamber. As ,the piston revolves about shaft 5 and moves through the annular cylinder 6, the explosive charge is forced into the explosion chamber 41 by the piston 37 in the manner hereinbefore set forth and about the time the piston 13 reaches the point marked X,

valve 42 is opened permitting the compressed charge to pass into the cylinder 6 and at the same time a spark plug of conventional form, indicated at 44, is energized and the charge is fired, di'ivino' the pistoii around in the cylinder 6, the c arge being finally exhausted through exhaust port 8. During the time' that the piston 13 is moving between the abutments 15 and 16, a sli ht vacuum is produced in the annular cy 'nder 6z between' these abutments and upon opemng of the abutment 1 6 a c ompressed charge will be drawn quickly into the compression chamber for the next explosion. At 45 I have indicated a plurality of openings in the wall of the cylinder 6 through which oil is introduced; the oil traveling down grooves 47 into a utter 48 and being delivered thence throug a port 49 to a conventional oil pump (not shown) by which it may be again introduced through the ort 45. us the piston during its trave past the gutters and ports and grooves is lubricated to a suiiicient extent to supply lubrication for the remainder of its travel.

By the provision of the two abutments 15 and 16 I prevent the fouling of the space between said abutments bythe exhaust gases and I insure that when the piston is passing abutment 16, no exhaust gases will find their way past'said abutment 16 because, at this time, abutment 15 will be closed. Furthermore, the provision of the space between the abutments 15 and 16 protected from exhaust gases, facilitates the introduction of lubricating oil through ports 45 and to the channels 47 for the efficient lubrication of the piston. It is av parent that eliicient lubrication is of vital) importance in a motor of this character. l

It is to be understood that the invention is not limitedto the precise construction set ,ments being located forth but that it includes within its purview Whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1.v In a rotary internal combustion engine, the combination with an annular cylinder of a rotor and piston, the latter travcling in the cylinder, an exhaust conduit, a fixed combustion chamber projecting tangentially from the cylinder in spaced relation to the exhaust conduit, al compression cylinder at the other end of the combustion chamber, a compression piston therein,` an inwardly opening check valve disposed between the compression chamber and the combustion chamber, a source of fuel supply, a check valve between the source of fuel sup 1 v and the compression chamber, a latera ly acting slide valve spanning the cylinder just beyond the mouth of the exhaust port, a second laterally acting slide valve spanning the cylinder just in advance of the mouth of the com ression chamber, a main shaft upon whic the rotor is mounted, a crankl carried thereby, a pivoted lever, means for connecting one end of said pivoted lever to the crank and for connecting the other end of said pivoted lever to' the piston of lthe compression chamber, a cam on the main shaft havin a raised portion on face, evers pivoted intermediate their ends with their inner ends in osition to be successively engaged by saidp raised portion of the cam, an their outer ends engaged with -the laterally acting slide valve of the cylinder. e*

2. An engine of the character described comprising a main shaft, a cylinder concentric therewith, a rotative eiement carried by the main shaft, a piston carried by said element and travelin in said cylinder, an exhaust conduit leading fromv said cylinder, a compression chamber disposed in the direction of travel of the piston and extending tangentially from the cylinder, a pair of laterally movable abutments adapted to span the cylinder one of said abutjust beyond the mouth of thetexhaust conduit and the other of said abutments being located just in advance of the mouth of the com ression chamber, means for retracting sai abutments upon the approach of the piston, a compression cylinder having its inner end connected with the outer end of the combustion chamber, a piston traveling in said compression cylinder, means for actuating said piston and said abutments from the main shaft of the engine and a valve in the combustion chamber adjacent its point of connection with the cylinder.

.3. A motor Aof the character described its side l lli 1,ses,a91

comprlsl- 'ng an annular c linder, a rotor carrying a' piston movable in said cylinder, an exhaust conduit leading from said cylinder, a combustion chamber associated with said cylinder, en abutment spanning the cylinder immediatelybeyond the mouth of the exhaust port, a second abutment spanning the cylinder in advance of the combustion chamber, means for withdrawin isa-id abutments to permit the passage o the piston 10 and conduits for the admlssion of 011, 1ocated between the two abutments.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

WALTER T. YOUNG. 

